Treadmill

ABSTRACT

A treadmill includes a frame, two tracks, a wheel, two keels and two treads. The frame includes a front portion and a rear portion. The tracks are extended from the rear portion of the frame. The wheel is provided on the front portion of the frame. Each of the keels includes a front end connected to the wheel and a rear end movable on a related one of the tracks. Each of the treads is carried on a related one of the keels.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a treadmill and, more particularly, to a miniature, structurally simple and therefore inexpensive treadmill.

2. Related Prior Art

Recently, time and places for exercise are getting less. Therefore, there have been devised various exercise machines for providing various training programs such as bicycles and treadmills.

There has been a conventional treadmill that only allows a user to move his legs up and down alternately with limited effects of exercise.

There has been another conventional treadmill that allows a user to move his legs up and down and back and forth alternately; however, it is bulky, structurally complicated and therefore expensive. It is inconvenient for the user to install, use and store the bulky oval-trace exercise machine.

To improve the effects of exercise, there has been devised another conventional treadmill including a base, a wheel disposed on a front portion of the base and two exercise units arranged on opposite sides of the wheel. Each exercise unit includes a track, a keel and a tread. The tread is carried on the keel. The keel includes a front end connected to the wheel and a rear end movably mounted on the track. This conventional treadmill is still bulky.

Disclosed in Taiwanese Patent M271597 is a treadmill including a base 10, a shaft 20 disposed on a front portion of the base 10, a wheel 16 disposed on a lower portion of the base 10 and two exercise units. Each exercise unit includes a rocker 23 connected to the shaft 20, a crank 161 connected to the wheel 16, a keel 25 arranged between the rocker 23 and the crank 161 and a tread 26 disposed on the keel 25. This conventional treadmill however forces the user to take small steps instead of strides for using a very small wheel.

The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a miniature, structurally simple and therefore inexpensive treadmill.

According to the present invention, a treadmill includes a frame, two tracks, a wheel, two keels and two treads. The frame includes a front portion and a rear portion. The tracks are extended from the rear portion of the frame. The wheel is provided on the front portion of the frame. Each of the keels includes a front end connected to the wheel and a rear end movable on a related one of the tracks. Each of the treads is carried on a related one of the keels.

Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described through detailed illustration of two embodiments referring to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a treadmill according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the treadmill shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial exploded view of the treadmill shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the treadmill of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the treadmill in another position than shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the treadmill in another position than shown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a treadmill according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a treadmill includes a frame 10, a wheel 20 provided on the frame 10, a resistance element 30 provided on the frame 10, a belt 35 wound around the wheel 20 and the resistance element 30 and two exercise units each provided on a different side of the wheel 20 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The frame 10 includes a longitudinal bar, a crossbar formed at a front end of the longitudinal bar and a post 15 formed on the longitudinal bar near the crossbar.

The wheel 20 is provided on the post 15. During rotation, the wheel 20 receives resistance from the resistance element 30 through the belt 35. The resistance element 30 is located behind the wheel 20. The resistance element 30 may be a magnetically-controllable resistance element or a brake-belt resistance element. The resistance that the resistance element 30 exerts on the wheel 20 is adjustable.

Each of the exercise units includes a track 60, a crank 25, a keel 40 and a tread 50. The track 60 is connected to a rear portion of the longitudinal bar of the frame 10. An end of the crank 25 is connected to the wheel 20. Another end of the crank 25 is connected to a front end of the keel 40. A rear end of the keel 40 is provided with a roller 45. The roller 45 is movable on and along the track 60. The tread 50 is carried on the keel 40.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the track 60 includes a slot 65 defined therein. Two ribs 66 are formed on two parallel edges of the slot 65 to enhance the strength of the track 60.

The keel 40 includes two ears 41 formed at a rear end. A threaded bolt 46 is driven through the ears 41 and the roller 45. A nut is engaged with the threaded bolt 46. A pin 48 is inserted through the ears 41 and the slot 65 so that the roller 45 is retained on the track 60.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, a user sets his feet on the treads 50. By treading the treads 50 alternately, the user moves the treads 50 up and down and back and forth alternatively. One of the treads 50 is moved down and forward while the other tread 50 is moved up and backward. Thus, the user treads the treads 50 in imitation of walking or jogging.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a treadmill according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment is identical to the first embodiment except two things. Firstly, there is a telescopic cane 72 including a lower tube 70 perpendicularly connected to the crossbar of the frame 10 and an upper tube 75 telescopically inserted in the lower tube 70. A ball may be provided on the upper tube 75. Secondly, there is a length-adjusting design 80 for adjusting the length of the telescopic cane 72. The length-adjusting design 80 includes a screw hole 81 defined in the lower tube 70, a series of apertures 82 defined in the upper tube 75 and a threaded bolt 83 driven in a selected one of the apertures 82 through the screw hole 81. A knob or butterfly head is secured to the threaded bolt 83 so that the user can operate the knob to rotate the threaded bolt 83 without having to use an external tool.

An advantage of the treadmill according to the present invention is safety for the user since the vertical movement of the treads is limited to a small range and the treads are located at low position so that the user has no trouble balancing himself on the treads.

Another advantage of the treadmill according to the present invention is the simple structure and therefore a low cost.

Still another advantage of the treadmill according to the present invention is the small size that renders it easy for the user to install, use and store the treadmill.

The present invention has been described via the detailed illustration of the embodiments. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims. 

1. A treadmill comprising: a frame comprising a front portion and a rear portion; two tracks extended from the rear portion of the frame; a wheel provided on the front portion of the frame; two keels each comprising a front end connected to the wheel and a rear end movable on a related one of the tracks; and two treads each carried on a related one of the keels.
 2. The treadmill according to claim 1 comprising a post formed on the front portion of the frame, and the wheel is provided on the post.
 3. The treadmill according to claim 1 comprising two cranks each comprising an end connected to the wheel and another end connected to the front end of a related one of the keels.
 4. The treadmill according to claim 1 comprising: a resistance element provided on the frame behind the wheel; and a belt wound around the wheel and the resistance element so that the resistance element provides adjustable resistance to the wheel during rotation.
 5. The treadmill according to claim 4 wherein the resistance is selected from a group consisting of a magnetically controllable resistance element and a brake-belt resistance element.
 6. The treadmill according to claim 1 wherein each of the keels comprises: two ears formed on the rear end thereof; and a roller connected to the ears for rolling on and along a related one of the tracks.
 7. The treadmill according to claim 6 wherein each of the tracks comprises a slot defined therein, and each of the keel comprises a pin inserted through the ears thereof and the slot of a related one of the tracks so that the roller thereof is retained on the related keel.
 8. The treadmill according to claim 7 wherein each of the tracks comprises two ribs formed along two parallel edges of the slot thereof to enhance the strength thereof.
 9. The treadmill according to claim 1 comprising a cane perpendicularly provided on the front portion of the frame to be held by a user.
 10. The treadmill according to claim 9 wherein the cane is a telescopic cane comprising a lower tube perpendicularly provided on the front portion of the frame and an upper tube telescopically inserted in the lower tube.
 11. The treadmill according to claim 10 comprising a length-adjusting device for adjusting the length of the telescopic cane.
 12. The treadmill according to claim 11 wherein the length-adjusting device comprises: a screw hole defined in the lower tube; a series of apertures defined in the upper tube; and a threaded bolt for insertion in a selected one of the apertures through the screw hole. 